One of the best things about summer is the incredible variety of plant types that, in their almost infinite colours, soothe and revive us, uplift our mind, body and soul, and make our hearts smile. Depending on where we live, the display lasts all year long or a few brief months. Depending on the elevation, the landscape and the temperature, they can be hardy cacti, delicate roses and everything in between. Here in southern Ontario, it is a glorious outpouring of textures and colours for a few months around the middle of the year.

Here are some of the lovelies that our mother can see out her window.

A picture of garden of red flowers in the forefront, tall trees and a lake in the background.

If we raise our eyes and look around us, through a window or by going for a walk through our neighbourhood, summer’s evolving spectrum of colours and resilience give us hope. In summer, nature’s fragile strength is magical; a lovely secret garden that we can enter by opening our eyes and hearts to it.

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If you would like to explore other lovely and non-traditional gardens around the world, click here, here and here.

Something I like about the city where I live is the plantings at many of the main intersections and buildings.

Here are more beautiful gardens in Canada.

A picture from the Butchart Gardens, Vancouver, BC.The picture shows the mountains in the distance and trees and bushes, and various patches of colourful flowers in the forefront.
Butchart Gardens, Vancouver B.C.
A picture of a woman sitting on a bench in front of a small pond at Montreal Botanical Gardens.
Montreal Botannical Gardens
A picture from the Montreal Botanical Gardens. A pond in the forefront and sculptures and greenery in the background.
Montreal Botannical Gardens
A picture from along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa Ontario. The picture shows the canal in the background and tulips of various colours in the forefront.
Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ont.

Here are some of the most beautiful gardens around the world.

A picture of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, South Aftica, at sunset with the sun setting behind the table mountains. Purple flowers in the forefront.
Kirstenbosch Botannical Gardens, South Africa
A picture of Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Thailand. The picture shows sculptural gardens and dinosaur statues in the distance.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Thailand
A picture of the Isola Bella Gardens in Italy. The gardens show tall Cyprus trees in a rectangular shapes with Lake Maggiore and mountains in the distance.
Isola Bella Gardens, Italy

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is beautifully situated on the eastern hills of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. In the garden is a bust of Nelson Mandela, sculpted by John Francis Gardner. The sculpture was donated to the gardens and can be found beside the pepper-bark tree that had been planted by Mandela during a visit to the gardens in August 1996.

Nong Nooch Pataya Garden was originally supposed to be an orchard, with coconuts, mangoes, oranges and other tropical fruits. The gardens are one of biggest tourist attractions in Thailand, with accommodations, a spa and daily elephant and cabaret shows. some of the most popular gardens include the Cactus Garden, the Garden in the Sky and the Dinosaur Valley.

Isola Bella Gardens, Italy are baroque gardens on the island of Isola Bella, situated in Lago Maggiore. The island, owned by the Borromeo family, has been a garden since the 1630s. The island has a baroque palace and magnificent gardens, lemons trees, a family of white peacocks, spectacular views of the lake and snow capped mountains in the distance.

There are beautiful gardens to see all over the world. Click here to read about the 30 most beautiful gardens around the world, according to Veranda.com.

Do you make an effort to go to local gardens during your travels or even in your own city? Let us know about them in the comments.

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